ARRL Virginia Section ARES Amateur Radio Emergency Service

“ARES” and “Amateur Radio Emergency Service” are registered service marks of the American Radio Relay League, Incorporated and are used by permission.
ARES consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization, is eligible for membership in the ARES. The only qualification, other than possession of an Amateur Radio license, is a sincere desire to serve. Because ARES is an amateur service, only amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership.

AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE Providing voluntary communications in time of need	How can amateur radio assist your agency or non-profit organization?	Are the services provided by amateur radio operators expensive?
ARES is a volunteer radio communications service available to Federal, state, county and local governments, NGOs, as well as non-profit organizations. The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is more than 35,000 amateurs nationwide who have formed an organized pool of operators to provide reliable primary and secondary communications links for governmental agencies and/or non-profit organizations when needed Communications provided may be in the form of voice, Radio teletype, television, digital data (packet and email) or even Morse code. Handheld amateur radio equipment has a range that varies from line of sight to the next county or state.	In a variety of ways! Do you, or agencies within your organization, need to divert routine communications away from operational or tactical radio channels during an emergency? Does your agency need an organized back-up communications link which can be called into action if your usual communications links become overloaded or disrupted? Are you in need of reliable interagency communications during emergencies? If so, volunteer amateur radio operators can fill the gap. Does your organization sponsor public service events such as walkathons? Would reliable communications allow you to sponsor a safer, more coordinated event? If so, amateur radio fits the bill.	Services are provided on a volunteer basis. Federal Communications Commission rules strictly prohibit amateur radio operators from charging a direct fee for their services. Where would amateur radio operators fit into your plans? They could be your primary or secondary communications link. Amateur radio operators realize that their role is to provide communications - not to make your decisions. Your ARES Emergency Coordinator might be considered your volunteer communications consultant.
Does amateur radio work in emergency or public-service communications?	How can I find out more about ARES?	Sponsored by the ARRL: the national association for Amateur Radio
Yes! Amateur radio operators have provided communications during hurricanes, brush fires in California, tornadoes in the Midwest and earthquakes. Amateur radio has been used for more than a two decades as the primary communications link for the New York City Marathon. Amateur radio has a proud tradition of serving the public since 1917. Amateur Radio Emergency Service members in several Missouri communities responded the evening of July 16 when a lightning strike took out telephone service in the City of Trenton. Story Many Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members in Western Virginia gave up their Memorial Day weekend to assist American Red Cross flood recovery efforts in extreme Southwest Virginia. Story	Contact the Emergency Coordinator for your county. A list of these Coordinators is available from the main page. He or she will gladly provide you with the following: How you can best include volunteer amateur radio operators in your plans. An explanation of how the Amateur Radio Emergency Service is organized and how these volunteers are trained. A demonstration of the capability and reliability of amateur radio operators and their equipment. An opportunity to examine the Emergency Coordinator’s Manual, a step-by-step guide of how to include amateur radio operators in your organization.	ARRL is the national membership association for Amateur Radio operators. The United States government began licensing Amateur Radio operators in 1912. By 1914, there were thousands of Amateur Radio operators--hams--in the United States. In May 1914 Hiram Percy Maxim founded the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Today ARRL, with approximately 163,000 members, is the largest organization of radio amateurs in the United States. The ARRL is a not-for-profit organization that: promotes interest in Amateur Radio communications and experimentation represents US radio amateurs in legislative matters, and maintains fraternalism and a high standard of conduct among Amateur Radio operators. ARRL Website
So, how do you join Virginia ARES? It's very simple and painless ... Click here.